The climate is changing in mobility and General Motors (GM) is meeting the challenge.
GM supported the panel discussion “Smart Cities and You Part II: Becoming the 21st Century Entrepreneur” during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 48th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.
Iman Jefferson, Assistant Manager of Urban Mobility and Maven Communications at GM, served as a panelist offering insight on how the company is creating products that will thrive in the smart communities of the future.
Jefferson, a Chicago native, has been with the company for more than a year.
“I joined Maven particularly because I was fascinated with the future of GM,” she told Fair360, formerly DiversityInc.
“Helping transform and kind of seeing what transportation looks like in the future is thrilling right now.”
Maven is GM’s car-sharing service, launched in 2016. Jefferson said that Maven offers a service aimed at drivers in the gig economy.
“The Maven Gig app was designed to help people who currently may not have a car, but still want to be a part of the gig economy,” she said.
Maven Gig appGeneral Motors
“We know that in the next two years the gig economy is supposed to grow to 54 million workers worldwide,” Jefferson continued.
“And so, if you don’t have a car, but want to drive for Uber, Lyft, or GrubHub, etc., you can now rent our cars at a weekly rate.”
The weekly price includes maintenance, insurance and electric vehicle charging.
“So we’re now really helping with the economic opportunities,” Jefferson explained. “We are now providing jobs for people who may not have had a job before.”
Electric vehicles fit into the concept of smart cities.
“With Maven Gig, we’ve been able to deploy over 900 electric vehicles, and we’ve partnered with cities to have fast-charging vehicle access for everyone,” Jefferson said.
“We recognize that the automotive industry is going through a revolutionary shift. Maven is really a part of that conversation.”
Also at CBCF, General Motors had on display the first-ever 2019 Cadillac XT4.
“The new Cadillac XT4 brings a new vitality to Cadillac, in one of the industry’s fastest-growing segments,” said Steve Carlisle, Cadillac president. “It pairs the agility of our award-winning sports sedans with a youthful SUV character.”
Cadillac XT4GENERAL MOTORS
